The intersection of political thought and geekdom…

Is Internet Fame Bad For Your Brain?

The thumbnail is from a van I saw last week when I was walking- how relevant is that?!

Even if your a passionate film maker/blogger/social media user for the right reasons- when times get tough (relatively speaking) we’re all kept going by the knowledge that millions of people could potentially see your work- and sometimes they do. But does internet fame leave you with long term health issues?

It’s no secret now that prolonged periods of time on computers, phones, or tablets can have a negative impact on your health. Although scientists do not know much about white light (the kind of light emmited by electronic devices)- many believe that it has similar effects on the skin to UV light, in long bursts. However, the very notion of social media could be impacting your metal health. Here’s how:

Its no secret now (again) that social media is not a true reflection of real life. For the most part, it’s a cherry-picked version of life- with most images people see being virtually unattainable. Its no wonder then, that rates of depression and anxiety have risen among the younger years. It feels as if lately, the BBC have written story after story about mental health and anxiety- and many experts are identifying social media as one of the root causes for anxiety in the youth. Along with jobs and politics. Thanks alot government.

But the problem doesn’t just stop with the ‘normal people’. Even the mega-stars of the internet are feeling the bite.

Above: Ben Brown- just one of the YouTubers not afraid to share the struggles of a 24/7 connected world..A few months ago, Ben Brown- an athlete turned YouTuber (who has made videos with the likes of Casey Neistat and FunForLouis)- made a video commenting on his life and his work. In this video, he stated how producing videos every day was trying him out, and how he physically needed some respite. Last year, Vlogger Casey Neistat also made a video detailing his daily routine- shocking viewers at the amount of sleep he apparently was getting every night- or lack thereof.

It seems that life after fame is still taking its toll on people- as the pressure to come up with new ideas and please an ever growing audience is greatly increased.

People have also claimed that the level of self scrutiny and self interest asociated with social media is unealthy. There has already been proven links between lonelyness and dementia- so in the isolated realm of social media- should we be doing more?